1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a home server and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly to a home server for providing not only broadcast services, Internet services, and game services, but also a broadband network distribution function requisite for a home network, and at the same time minimizing a used amount of a power-supply voltage, such that it implements service convergence and energy-saving, and a method for controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, most homes or households include Personal Computers (PCs). The PCs can allow users to surf the Internet on the Web, and can reproduce or store various multimedia data, such that the number of functions capable of being executed by the PCs is rapidly increasing. Particularly, the higher the number of users who enjoy surfing the Internet, the higher the number of households, each of which owns at least two PCs.
Therefore, there is needed a home network capable of converging not only PCs, household appliances, controllers, and other devices located at each home or household, but also mobile phones and PDAs carried by users using a variety of wired/wireless technologies, and implementing home automation and home security.
In order to implement the above-mentioned home network, a home server capable of serving as a media server, a network server, and a home-automation server is required.
The above-mentioned home server acts as a PC capable of serving as a variety of servers for use in a variety of devices installed in each home, for example, a media server, a network server, and a home-automation server, etc.
The home server can basically store or re-distribute external content data received in each home over a broadcast network, a telephone network, or the Internet, can be used as a storage unit for storing digital video data or music data, or can serve as a PC's external storage unit. In addition, the home server can also serve as an information control center for each home.
Recently, with the increasing development of digital broadcast technology, the home server is currently extending from a conventional server function for use in a network such as the Internet to a digital broadcast device function capable of receiving/distributing digital broadcast data.
The home server equipped with the above-mentioned functions must be always powered on to perform distribution of a home network required to be always powered on. A conventional home server is unable to control power-supply units for each function, such that modules capable of performing other unused functions (e.g., an Internet service function, a game platform function, and a broadcast service function, etc.) are continuously powered on, resulting in the occurrence of increased power consumption.
Conventionally, the home server does not include an independent network processor for use in the network distribution function. Therefore, if a home network distribution function is additionally required on the condition that the broadcast service, the game service, and the Internet service have been provided to users, the above-mentioned conventional home server cannot provide the users with sufficient traffic volume for the home network distribution.